System for Communication of Health Care Data

1. A computerized system for facilitating patient viewing of his/her health records over a communications network, the system comprising: a computer processor: a provider database residing on a health care provider computer having stored electronic medical records concerning a plurality of patients wherein the electronic medical records of the plurality of patients are maintained and used by a health care provider of the plurality of patients in the regular care of the plurality of patients, wherein the electronic medical records include payor data of one or more payor computer systems, and wherein the plurality of patients are enrolled in respective health care plans offered by health care payors in which the health care payors cover at least a portion of a cost of respective patients' encounters with health care providers; a web-based health care portal accessible by a health care provider and a patient via a communications network, wherein the provider database is configured to receive a selection of a patient from the plurality of patients through the web-based health care portal; wherein the provider database is configured to receive a request for at least a portion of an electronic medical record of the selected patient through the web-based health care portal; wherein the web-based healthcare portal is programmed with computer-readable instructions to perform steps comprising: detecting whether a requester is a patient or a health care provider in response to a request for health-related data in the database; responsive to detection of the requester as a health care provider, presenting an electronic interface that allows the health care provider to view information for multiple patients across one or more payors based on the payor data from the at least one or more payor systems in the database; and responsive to detection of the requester as a patient, presenting an electronic interface that allows the patient to review personalized health information regarding the patient based on the health record of the patient in the database.

2. A computerized system for facilitating patient viewing of his/her health records over a communications network, the system comprising: a computer processor: a provider database residing on a health care provider computer having stored electronic medical records concerning a plurality of patients wherein the electronic medical records of the plurality of patients are maintained and used by a health care provider of the plurality of patients in the regular care of the plurality of patients, wherein the electronic medical records include payor data of one or more payor computer systems, and wherein the plurality of patients are enrolled in respective health care plans offered by health care payors in which the health care payors cover at least a portion of a cost of respective patients' encounters with health care providers; a web-based health care portal accessible by a health care provider and a patient via a communications network, wherein the provider database is configured to receive a selection of a patient from the plurality of patients through the web-based health care portal; wherein the provider database is configured to receive a request for at least a portion of an electronic medical record of the selected patient through the web-based health care portal; wherein the web-based healthcare portal is programmed with computer-readable instructions to perform steps comprising: detecting whether a requester is a patient or a health care provider in response to a request for health-related data in the database; responsive to detection of the requester as a health care provider, presenting an electronic interface that allows the health care provider to make a referral for a selected patient to another health care provider, wherein the referral is electronically determined based at least in part upon plan rules of the patient's payor; and responsive to detection of the requester as a patient, presenting an electronic interface that allows the patient to review personalized health information regarding the patient based on the health record of the patient in the database.

3. A computerized system for facilitating patient viewing of his/her health records over a communications network, the system comprising: a computer processor: a provider database residing on a health care provider computer having stored electronic medical records concerning a plurality of patients wherein the electronic medical records of the plurality of patients are maintained and used by a health care provider of the plurality of patients in the regular care of the plurality of patients, wherein the electronic medical records include payor data of one or more payor computer systems, and wherein the plurality of patients are enrolled in respective health care plans offered by health care payors in which the health care payors cover at least a portion of a cost of respective patients' encounters with health care providers; a web-based health care portal accessible by a health care provider and a patient via a communications network, wherein the provider database is configured to receive a selection of a patient from the plurality of patients through the web-based health care portal; wherein the provider database is configured to receive a request for at least a portion of an electronic medical record of the selected patient through the web-based health care portal; wherein the web-based healthcare portal is programmed with computer-readable instructions to perform steps comprising: detecting whether a requester is a patient or a health care provider in response to the request for health-related data in the database; responsive to detection of the requester as a health care provider, presenting an electronic interface that allows the health care provider to order laboratory tests electronically using a communications network for the selected patient and monitoring a status of the laboratory tests prior to electronically receiving the results of the laboratory tests; and responsive to detection of the requester as a patient, presenting an electronic interface that allows the patient to review personalized health information regarding the patient based on the health record of the patient in the database.

4. A computerized system for facilitating patient viewing of his/her health records over a communications network, the system comprising: a computer processor: a provider database residing on a health care provider computer having stored electronic medical records concerning a plurality of patients wherein the electronic medical records of the plurality of patients are maintained and used by a health care provider of the plurality of patients in the regular care of the plurality of patients, wherein the electronic medical records include payor data of one or more payor computer systems, and wherein the plurality of patients are enrolled in respective health care plans offered by health care payors in which the health care payors cover at least a portion of a cost of respective patients' encounters with health care providers; a web-based health care portal accessible by a health care provider and a patient via a communications network, wherein the provider database is configured to receive a selection of a patient from the plurality of patients through the web-based health care portal; wherein the provider database is configured to receive a request for at least a portion of an electronic medical record of the selected patient through the web-based health care portal; wherein the web-based healthcare portal is programmed with computer-readable instructions to perform steps comprising: detecting whether a requester is a patient in response to the request for health-related data in the database; and responsive to detection of the requester as a patient, presenting an electronic interface that allows the patient to review personalized health information regarding the patient based on the health record of the patient in the database.